If anyone was watching the Oak Orchard webcam between 11:57 AM to 1:13 PM yesterday, they would have seen me at the light. It was a totally great day, a tad on the hot side, but just a photo-friendly type of day.

Getting to see the new light up close was like opening a new present under the tree. I discovered that there is some sort of pelxiglass around the railings of the steps and small porch area that can't be seen on the webcam. Also, a small sign on the north-facing side of the light proclaiming it to be the "Oak Orchard Lighthouse." The structure is not yet painted to the original black & white pattern of it's predecessor, and seems to be well constructed from what my closer inspection revealed.

Sorry Barry, we did not stop at either of the two eating establishments, as the wife was feeling a mite uneasy from the heat. However, we did go down the road a ways to to East and got to meet Don Town, the new proprieter of the Braddock Point Lighthouse Bed & Breakfast, which opens for business next week. Don is a real friendly fellow, who graciously offered us a tour of the house and light, which I delightfully accepted.

I just can't describe how neat the place was inside, there was just too much awesome stuff to relate here. I told him that you might be in the area next week, and he said to be sure to stop by Braddock Point for a tour for yourself as well. Climbing the tower and walking around the rail was something I never thought I would ever be able to do at this light, so it was a treat beyond measure. And Don is such a super, down-to-earth guy, meeting him was definitely a high point of our trip.

In all, a very productive journey so far, as I head out to Sodus Outer and Oswego today. May the Photo Gods continue to shine on our mission.

I'm glad that you got to make the trip to see the newly reconstructed Oak Orchard Light. Yes, that was lexan between the rails on the entry platform. We had to meet code requirements for guardrails, so the clear lexan seemed like the best alternative to keeping the original look of the pier. The original plans had a 30' +/- handicap ramp that led up to the lighthouse that replicated the timber pier, but that was eliminated due to cost. It may be built sometime in the future. Also, based on the 1909 governmnent document we have, the original light was brown and white, so it should be painted those colors sometime soon. I hope you enjoyed your trip and feel that we did the project justice through our interpretation of the 1909 document and our research of similar structures.

Oh, by all means I feel you guys did a super-great project….I delayed our trip up here until I was sure that the light would be up, as I have been following your progress for quite a while. When I found out late last fall that the project was finally a go, I just knew that New York would be our next premier journey, as I have been wanting to do a return to upstate for some other lights since our last visit in 2005.

Yesterday afternoon, we got out to East Charity and Galloo Island, just ahead of the approaching clouds and later rain, left at 4 PM, got back at 8 PM….Think we strayed over to Canadian waters there a little bit. The new owner wasn’t anywhere in evidence at East Charity….Not that I expected to see her. The sad deterioration at Galloo is really evident now that I got to see it close up. That light needs a Caretaker soon….Real Soon.

We are up in 1000 Islands tonight, after a few better shots than we had the last trip, when bad weather reared it’s ugly head in our direction. On our way back, I plan on stopping by Oak Orchard once more, to stay a bit longer this time before we make our way to home territory.

Tsimbari, A BIG “Thank You” to you and all the gang who persistence made the New Oak Orchard Light a reality. I know there is still the grounds part of the project to go, and I’m sure it will look sterling once it is completed. I’ll continue to check in on the Webcam to see how that’s going. I hope that all the lighthousing people like myself get to see this in person for themselves, as I’m sure they will be as pleased as I was.

It's sounds like you had a nice trip with lots of photo opportunities. My son and I head up to the 1000 islands every year for a fishing/camping trip. It's a great place. One of my favorite long weekend destinations.Thanks for the kind words, and glad you like the finished product in oak orchard.Tom

"The Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum is applying to the U.S. Coast Guard for a Private AToN, which will be under Coast Guard regulation, but the maintenance will be the responsibility of the Oak Orchard Lighthouse Museum Board Of Trustees. The Board is in the process of researching various available lights. It is expected the light will be a steady beacon, as opposed to a flashing or revolving beacon, and will be able to be seen from a reasonable distance."